What Genetic Thread Do These Six Strangers Have in Common?

What is race, exactly? Science tells us there is no genetic or scientific basis for it. Instead it’s largely a made-up label, used to define and separate us. Of course, just because race is made up doesn’t make it any less powerful. To a disturbing extent, race still determines people’s perceptions, their opportunities, and their experiences. Genetic sequencing, which has allowed researchers to trace the path of human migration and now allows individuals to trace their own ancestry, has introduced new ways of thinking about human diversity. And this, in turn, has opened up a conversation about the long, tangled, and often brutal history that all of us ultimately share.

What Genetic Thread Do These Six Strangers Have in Common?

What is race, exactly? Science tells us there is no genetic or scientific basis for it. Instead it’s largely a made-up label, used to define and separate us. Of course, just because race is made up doesn’t make it any less powerful. To a disturbing extent, race still determines people’s perceptions, their opportunities, and their experiences. Genetic sequencing, which has allowed researchers to trace the path of human migration and now allows individuals to trace their own ancestry, has introduced new ways of thinking about human diversity. And this, in turn, has opened up a conversation about the long, tangled, and often brutal history that all of us ultimately share.